WAYNE MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENT WINS PRESTIGIOUS SUMMER MUSIC SCHOLARSHIP

Saxophone player Isabelle Mailman of Wayne, an eighth-grader at George Washington Middle School in Wayne, has won the prestigious Hanover Wind Symphony 2019 Summer Music Scholarship in the Junior Division.

Isabelle, who plays both tenor saxophone and alto saxophone, will be using her scholarship to attend the 26th Annual Jazz Workshop at William Paterson University this coming summer.

An avid musician, Isabelle finds that music enhances her life in myriad ways. “To me, music is simply magical,” says the 13-year-old scholarship winner. “I have journeyed so far down the path of music that it has become an essential part of my life. As a form of communication, it has become as organic and elemental to me as speaking. Music is something that I just cannot live without.”

Besides the Hanover Wind Symphony scholarship, Isabelle also won the Chuck Sastre Memorial Award for musical excellence in 2016. The honoree has been first chair, tenor saxophone, with the Symphonic Winds Orchestra–Northern New Jersey and the Concert Band–Northern New Jersey, and first chair, alto saxophone, with the Elementary Honors Band; has played alto saxophone with the All-Wayne Band and All-Wayne Jazz Band; and has been part of the George Washington Middle School Sixth Grade Wind Symphony and Seventh and Eighth Grade Concert Band.

She also participates in the school’s Drama Club, and has performed in a number of productions, including playing the Hyena in “The Lion King”; the Evil Witch in “Shrek the Musical”; and the Wicked Witch of the West in “The Wizard of Oz.”

In addition, Isabelle is vice president of the George Washington Middle School Student Council, and a junior instructor in karate (a junior black belt), teaching younger students.

She notes, “No matter what’s on my schedule, I always make time for music. Whether I’m singing and dancing on stage, playing my saxophone, or tapping my foot along to the radio, I never miss the opportunity to enhance my life with music.”

Michele Hughes of Whippany, Isabelle’s private saxophone teacher, says of her student, “Isabelle is a highly intelligent, and sensitive musician. Her skills and dedication to the saxophone (alto and tenor) are excellent, and she has progressed from a beginning player to a mature musician performing at a level well beyond her 13 years of age! Isabelle is a joy to teach, absorbs what I teach her very quickly, and is extremely motivated. Isabelle has a passion for both classical repertoire and jazz music. Her innate sense of musicianship, phrasing and maturity are evident in her playing–she has a beautiful vibrato! I believe her talent will only grow and mature as she continues her musical journey.”

Gail Lalk of Morristown, chair of the HWS Scholarship Committee, notes, “We are very pleased about the quality of auditions we had for this year’s scholarship. Isabelle prepared impressive audition pieces on both alto and tenor saxophone.” Adds HWS president William Trusheim of West Milford, “This year, we were able to expand our scholarship program to include a junior division, which Isabelle Mailman won. This is in line with our mission to support aspiring instrumentalists. Isabelle gave an excellent audition and has a bright future in music.”

The Hanover Wind Symphony is a unique extension of the great American tradition of adult music performance. One of only a handful of outstanding community-based adult wind bands in New Jersey, the Hanover Wind Symphony delights audiences of all ages by giving a contemporary twist to traditional favorites. The large orchestra, made up exclusively of woodwind, brass and percussion instruments, is committed to mentoring the next generation of wind musicians.

HWS is working to make this scholarship program self-sustaining through donations. Donations to the Hanover Wind Symphony Summer Music Scholarship Program may be mailed to Hanover Wind Symphony, P.O. Box 100, Whippany, NJ 07981. Checks should be made payable to the Hanover Wind Symphony with “Scholarship Fund” in the memo line. Inquiries about the scholarship program may be emailed to info@hanoverwinds.org.